Kitten showing odd (to me) aggression - how to train certain aspects out?

[lawguy]

So, my ~4 month old red and white tabby is shall we say - a little bit aggressive.

First off, he likes to come up to Ally, bop her on the head with his paw, and then run away.  That's probably just play, but Ally doesn't like it one bit.  He also chases her around the room.  She's running away from him.  He (maybe) thinks it's a game.

The above isn't really why I'm posting though.  The problem I'm noticing has popped up when I play with him.  So far, I've seen it with 3 toys.  Da bird, one of those standard feathers on a stick toys, and this ridiculous thing I got at Walmart with a bumblebee and a flower (attached to each other via a small length of ribbon), or something along those lines.

We'll put aside my reservations to play with him using these toys for the moment (that's a separate thread).

When I play with him using the bird, he chases it frantically, catches it, and then oddly - hisses.  Then he holds on to it and if anybody tries to take it away, or even the string starts pulling on it (we're talking the feather portion), he growls.  Neither Ally nor Ollie ever did that.  That's new for me.  It's even worse with the feather(s) on a stick toy.  The moment he gets it, he holds on, and then it's tug-of-war basically, with him growling (presumably at me, or the stick, I'm not really sure which).

When I tried to pick him up while growling at the toy, he growled even more (this time probably at me).

Is he mad?  Is he just saying, "MINE!" ?  The moment the toys are put away, he's sweet again (as far as I can tell), but I worry if he can't share his toys with even me - then Ally has no chance of sharing.

Is this something he'll grow out of?  What is the cause?  What can I do to either solve the source of the aggression or anger, or disincentivize such behavior?

I need him to learn that sharing is caring basically.

It's been so long (at least for me) since Ally and Ollie were kittens.  Doing the kitten thing all over seems foreign to me.  I feel like I have to learn it all over again.  I can't figure out how to use positive reinforcement to modify this behavior effectively.

 

[carolina]

IMHO this is all playing - that's what it seems to me.... The first instance, with Ally, he is trying to play catch with her..... :heart3: Very normal....
And on the second, very normal too, he is playing hunting - those toys are his prey - and that is what they are. Da Bird, feather toys, etc. are nothing but artificial preys we get in the toy store to stimulate these exact hunting instincts he is showing there.
As long as he is not being aggressive with you, or Ally..... and he is just playing.... I think this is healthy.... He is a kitten with a lot of energy....
IMHO what you can do is play with the both of them - exhaust him with play.... And keep directing his energy to the toy :nod:

Do play sessions, and once the sessions are over, put the toys away (they are not safe to leave around a kitten anyway because of the stings).
Keep in mind they are still going through an introduction...... They will get more and more used to each other.... And Ally will let him know how she feels :nod:

I can't see anything wrong, really.... maybe someone will chime in with some ideas..... But kittens are balls of energy :lol3:
This too shall pass my friend, this too shall pass :lol3:

 

[momofmany]

I've had a lot of cats over the years and the sweetest one of them all was a cat named Bogart. He was my house ambassador - didn't matter how feral a cat was when I brought them in the house, he would walk up to them and lick their heads in greeting. He slept on my hair every night for his entire life. You'd look at him and he would purr. He was the perfect cat. Until he got hold of a certain toy (rabbit fur mice), at which times he would growl and hiss at anyone that came close to him. If I picked him up when he had the mouse, he would purr and purr and growl at the same time.

The growling/hissing is instinctual and I consider it cute when a cat finds his favorite prey. At 4 months old he is still all kitten, and he will chase the other cats in play. Enjoy the antics while he is still young.

 

[lawguy]

Well, for example this morning he bit me.  One of the feathers got broken off by him and he was going to eat it.  I grabbed him, and grabbed the feather before he could do so - and as I pulled it out of his mouth, he growled loudly and bit me.

No more feather toys for Alfie until he's a little older?  I don't know what to do about this.  I like that he gets into it - but he has to chill out.  It's not a real bird and he doesn't get to take it back with him and eat it.

 

[lawguy]

Also, before anybody asks - he didn't bite me out of pain or anything.  The feather hadn't gotten far enough that pulling it from his mouth could or would hurt him.  He just thinks he runs the place.

 

[carolina]

Yep.... he is a kitten..... That's the prey..... You took the prey from his mouth.....
I am not sure if not playing is a solution..... I rather have him playing with a feather toy then destroying the house :nod:

 

[jcat]

Kittens have to learn not to bite when they're playing - that's something a lot of them do. The next time he does it (or tries to), hiss at him, then put the toy away and walk away from him. He's still learning how to behave properly, so you have to show your disapproval without scaring him by shouting, etc.. He'll understand a hiss from you or Ally.

 

[carolina]

Kittens have to learn not to bite when they're playing - that's something a lot of them do. The next time he does it (or tries to), hiss at him, then put the toy away and walk away from him. He's still learning how to behave properly, so you have to show your disapproval without scaring him by shouting, etc.. He'll understand a hiss from you or Ally.

 

[dgflygirl]

I had a Savannah cat (an African Serval/domestic cat hybrid) who displayed those same tendencies. He never grew out of it after "kittenhood", but I did find some ways to alter some of his behavior.

Kuumba would also sometimes accidentally scratch me or bite me if I got my hand in the way of his "playing", either with a toy or other cats. I also used the short "hiss and ignore" tactic that another poster mentioned. However, sometimes he would get carried away and trap my hand in what I called the "death hold" - wrapping all four paws around my hand and forearm, digging his claws in and biting at my hand. When THAT happened, I would stop moving my hand, forcefully (but not loudly) say "NO, KUUMBA" and tap him lightly on the face. Usually he would "come to" and realize what he was doing, and start licking me instead. It got to the point where all I would have to do is stop moving my hand and say "kisses, Kuumba" and he would start licking instead.

Some cats never get out of that habit, but the fact that he's sweet again as soon as the toys are put away makes me think it really has nothing to do with you and everything to do with how he plays. He just needs to learn to differentiate.